Book Review: "He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back"

As the NASCAR Hall of Fame opens its doors to the greats of the sport and readies to induct the inaugural class, fans should also consider taking a peek at a new book out on the sport called He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel.

The book is billed as "the true story of the year of the King, Jaws, Earnhardt and the rest of NASCAR's feudin', fightin', good ol' boys who put stock car racing on the map." And it lives up to that billing, telling many of the stories that are so familiar to fans of the history of stock car racing.

But what Bechtel does best is not just to tell those familiar stories, but to put meat on their bones and share more of the details of what really happened.  In other words, Bechtel in his book tells, "the rest of the story." 

One of the most famous fights in NASCAR is that of Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, one that is credited for drawing attention to the sport because of it being televised for all to see on CBS sports during a major snowstorm on the east coast.

But what Bechtel does in his book is to flesh out that fight, share the "inside" story and put it in the context of all of the many skirmishes that took place throughout NASCAR's history.  His analysis is especially apropos with the current policy of "have at it, boys" racing that the sanctioning body has encouraged this year.

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is also the story of many of the sports legends and heroes.  But again, Bechtel tells the rest of the story about them, including Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and then rising star Dale Earnhardt.

Sure all of these drivers have become heroes and larger than life to most race fans. But Bechtel makes them human, and shares not only their triumphs but also some of their struggles and difficulties that made them who they were as stock car racers.

Especially poignant are the stories about Richard Petty's son Kyle and his ascension into the sport.  While most fans know of Kyle's struggles in most recent times, losing his ride at Richard Petty Motorsports, the tales of his burst onto the NASCAR scene are funny, engaging, and bittersweet.

Bechtel also does a good job of reminding NASCAR aficionados of the impact of the growth of the sport on the rest of the country.  While NASCAR and politics seem to have been only recently intertwined, there really has been a wealth of involvement, swinging from Democrat to Republican, throughout the sport's history.

And just when fans are admiring current drivers who are in their cars racing with injuries, from Denny Hamlin with his recent knee surgery to Steve Wallace with his broken foot, Bechtel's book reminds all that those injuries are nothing compared to the past when drivers raced with broken clavicles, ribs and other injuries that would have kept the best of athletes sidelined for the rest of the season.

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is available in hard cover at any book store and is published by Little, Brown, and Company.  Mark Bechtel is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated, who has covered the sport for the magazine.  Bechtel, a native of Alabama, currently lives in New York City.